I've never needed one and at the time I bought my laptop, I had no money left over for an extra battery. I'll admit I wanted one, because I was thinking up all these scenarios where a second battery would come in handy. As it turns out, it would have been a waste of money.<br><br>I did buy a versatile power adapter that doubled as a charger so I could plug it into the cigarette lighter of my car but never had the occasion to use it.<br><br>And lastly, I never took any flight that outlasted my battery.<br><br><br>M i c h a e l (OFI)

The only users requiring an extra battery are long distance travelers. The rest, otherwise considered the majority, are merrily working away with their solitary battery intact. I suppose folks who travel great distances frequently have decent incomes and would likely own very powerful laptops. They're also likely strong enough to carry laptops weighing in excess of 4 to 5 pound, being that they're probably into the whole health craze and exercise their brains out at every given chance. Then there's that niche group who replace their laptop annually and probably haven't a clue what a spare battery looks like. Their biggest concern is looking cool.<br><br>I have no doubt most of the folks referenced above have confidence their purchasing decisions are correct and no one is robbing them.<br><br>... have copied my reply, in the event pasting elsewhere is required.<br><br>- alec -

I've never bought an extra battery for any laptop (or music player, phone or camera). By the time my batteries get weak enough to bother me, the laptop in question is always relegated to secondary uses. That means a) using with wall power is no great burden and b) the machine no longer gets used often enough to be worth $80 or whatever for a new battery. Sure I'd LIKE full life restored, but I don't care how easy it is or what the cost: by the time the machine is old enough to care, it's too old to bother. I'll put the battery money towards a new machine.<br><br>What I need from a laptop battery to make it useful is the ability get through an hour meeting (no WiFi needed, max brightness not necessary). And I appreciate the ability to do quick 5-10 minute tasks around the house without grabbing the charger. Apple says the Air gets up to 5 hours with WiFi on. Obviously that's the high number: brightness lowered, key lights off, etc. So turn on the extras (as reviewers have confirmed) and expect less than 5 hours. Still plenty of cushion for my needs. (I can imagine myself--just for fun--wanting to use my laptop for long hours on long plane flights. I don't take long plane flights often, and am partial to sleeping or using my iPod when I do. But just for fun, I might want more than an hour out of my laptop then. If my years-old Air someday can't deliver that, it won't be a battery I get, but an airplane charger.)<br><br>I just don't perform hours-long tasks in places without power outlets.<br><br>If I did--and I know many do--then I'd get a replacement battery after 24 months or so. In the case of my future MacBook Air, I'd choose a non-Apple battery (internal or external) if I wanted, and would happily install it myself in minutes.<br><br>I'l also note that my 4-year-old iPod still plays (yes, plays) for 20 hours on its original battery. Individual usage has a big effect on that, but batteries aren't guaranteed to die within months as some would have you believe.<br><br>nagr[color:red]o</font color=red>mme<br><br>I require stroyent!<br>TeamMacOSX.com | MacClan.net

You need to keep the extra one charged or it may not work when you need it. I've heard of keeping at least a 40% charge on them is good.<br><br>------> JD's Trivia game<br><br>------> MCF-MM Trivia game

<br>If I were still making the number of 8-hour transatlantic flights I used to, I'd most certainly have one. 3-4 hours are okay for inter-city ranges, but certainly not for long flights, which usually include extensive waiting periods as well, and having your laptop turn into useless luggage halfway across the Big Pond is no fun.<br><br>I wonder why Apple couldn't have provided for an external battery pack. Since the optical drive is external already, why not a second battery? Heck, put both into the same enclosure as a really useful travel-pack?<br>Perhaps someone else will do that.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>

Heck, put both into the same enclosure as a really useful travel-pack?<br>Perhaps someone else will do that.<br><br>Genius! Someone is going to make a boatload of money doing just that.<br><br><br>M i c h a e l (OFI)

Xplain's use of MacNews, AppleCentral and AppleExpo are not affiliated with Apple, Inc. MacTech is a registered trademark of Xplain Corporation. AppleCentral, MacNews, Xplain, "The journal of Apple technology", Apple Expo, Explain It, MacDev, MacDev-1, THINK Reference, NetProfessional, MacTech Central, MacTech Domains, MacForge, and the MacTutorMan are trademarks or service marks of Xplain Corp. Sprocket is a registered trademark of eSprocket Corp. Other trademarks and copyrights appearing in this printing or software remain the property of their respective holders.

All contents are Copyright 1984-2010 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.